Harrisburg, PA (PRWEB) December 09, 2016
The Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society (PATS) aired a concussion education program through the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) during the summer of 2016. The program was made possible by a Pennsylvania Department of Health Traumatic Brain Injury Implementation Grant provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration. The broadcast, Use Your Head: Properly Managing Sport Concussion, focused on several topics with personal interviews related to traumatic brain injury. PATS President, Guy Sanchoili MS, LAT, ATC, PES, narrated the broadcast, while Jamey Stewart, President of Mega Media Factory, produced and edited the broadcast.
The program included three interviews with student-athletes from the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. These interviews provided crucial insight for the viewers. The student-athletes described how they became injured, what symptoms they experienced, to whom they reported their injury, and the time and effort of the recovery process. Next, the viewers were presented an interview with Dr. Jonathan French, PsyD from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Concussion Program. Dr. French, a neuropsychologist, was able to explain what a concussion is, how to recognize it, how to report it, and a brief overview of the recovery process. Return to play considerations were focused on by athletic trainer, Joe Gatti, LAT, ATC of Duquesne University. Lastly, Pennsylvania Representative Tim Briggs & Senator Pat Browne were interviewed. They discussed the importance of the Safety in Youth Sports Act, how they feel Pennsylvania has improved since its implementation, and the vital role Athletic Trainers play in youth sports.
Use Your Head: Properly Managing Sport Concussion also highlighted the ConcussionWise program and how to access the program on the PATS website (http://www.gopats.org). ConcussionWise is a series of educational programs created by a partnership between Sport Safety International and the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society. The programs have been peer-reviewed and are consistent with the latest science and practical applications regarding the prevention and management of concussion for athletic trainers, coaches, parents, athletes, physicians, and nurses. Because this is a free resource, made possible by the Department of Health grant, PATS encourages viewers to participate in the education series.
The goal of Use Your Head: Properly Managing Sport Concussion was to educate the public about appropriate management of concussions and advocate for the importance of athletic trainers in all settings, specifically in the recognition and treatment of traumatic brain injuries. All schools and sports programs can apply the appropriate management of concussions and proper implementation of a concussion management program as presented in the PCN broadcast. To view the broadcast, please visit https://pcntv.com/2016/05/16/pats/
For more information regarding this topic or to schedule an interview with PATS President Gaetano Sanchioli, MS, LAT, ATC, PES (president(at)gopats(dot)org), please contact Linda Mazzoli, MS, LAT, ATC, PATS Executive Director at patsexecutivedirection(at)gopats(dot)org.
The Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers Society, Inc is a progressive organization of licensed healthcare professionals who work under the direction of a licensed physician. Our society continues to increase public awareness and education regarding Athletic Trainers and the Athletic Training profession while serving as the premier source of information for public safety, injury and illness prevention, early intervention, patient care, and healthcare delivery for the physically active in the Commonwealth.
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